Health & Medicine
Exposure to Laundry Detergent Pods May Be More Harmful to Young Kids' Health, Study Reveals
Johnson Denise
First Posted: Apr 27, 2016 05:26 AM EDT
Children go through a stage in their lives where they put almost everything they see in their mouths. It seems innocent enough, but there are certain that may put your children's health at risk. A new study found that certain laundry detergents, more specifically laundry pods are more dangerous for kids than other types of laundry and dishwashing detergents.
U.S. poison control centers were found to have received 17,000 calls or about one in every hour, concerning children aging 6 and younger who had been exposed to chemicals in laundry detergent pods in 2012 and 2013.
The study discovered that 60 percent of the total calls were made regarding children's exposure to detergent pods, small gel packets that contain a single load of highly concentrated detergent. Among the calls, almost half of them were referred to the nearest health care facility for evaluation and treatment. The data showed that calls relating to exposure to laundry pods were significantly higher than traditional laundry detergent exposure at 17 percent, traditional dishwasher detergent at 4 percent, and dishwashing detergent pods 5 percent, Medical Daily reported.
"This caught us by surprise," said Dr. Gary Smith, the study's lead author from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "I've seen these cases come through the hospital's emergency department," he said. "I was aware of the case reports, but I haven't seen anyone pull together the numbers."
Dr. Smith also that children at an early age are an age group that has a newfound mobility. "They're curious and they don't sense danger." Children may think the colorful pods are candy or filled with juice, he said. According to Toronto Sun, Dr. Smith also said that almost half of the exposures reported were trivial, which to him is good news. He explained saying that the exposure being trivial meant that children did not get seriously sick or need additional care. "If they swallow it and they swallow enough of it, that's when we get these serious symptoms," he added.
Parents should be aware that the most common side effects of pods exposure or their liquids include vomiting, coughing and choking, eye irritation or pain and tiredness. Serious side effects involve comas, seizures and stomach burns. Although researchers are not certain that the detergents in the pods are more powerful than traditional laundry detergent, the symptoms after exposure to the pods appear to be more serious.
"These are severe symptoms that we haven't seen in the past with traditional laundry detergent that we're now seeing with these new pods," Smith said. "The symptoms are a very broad spectrum," he continued. "It's not only the amount but the route of exposure too."
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First Posted: Apr 27, 2016 05:26 AM EDT
Children go through a stage in their lives where they put almost everything they see in their mouths. It seems innocent enough, but there are certain that may put your children's health at risk. A new study found that certain laundry detergents, more specifically laundry pods are more dangerous for kids than other types of laundry and dishwashing detergents.
U.S. poison control centers were found to have received 17,000 calls or about one in every hour, concerning children aging 6 and younger who had been exposed to chemicals in laundry detergent pods in 2012 and 2013.
The study discovered that 60 percent of the total calls were made regarding children's exposure to detergent pods, small gel packets that contain a single load of highly concentrated detergent. Among the calls, almost half of them were referred to the nearest health care facility for evaluation and treatment. The data showed that calls relating to exposure to laundry pods were significantly higher than traditional laundry detergent exposure at 17 percent, traditional dishwasher detergent at 4 percent, and dishwashing detergent pods 5 percent, Medical Daily reported.
"This caught us by surprise," said Dr. Gary Smith, the study's lead author from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "I've seen these cases come through the hospital's emergency department," he said. "I was aware of the case reports, but I haven't seen anyone pull together the numbers."
Dr. Smith also that children at an early age are an age group that has a newfound mobility. "They're curious and they don't sense danger." Children may think the colorful pods are candy or filled with juice, he said. According to Toronto Sun, Dr. Smith also said that almost half of the exposures reported were trivial, which to him is good news. He explained saying that the exposure being trivial meant that children did not get seriously sick or need additional care. "If they swallow it and they swallow enough of it, that's when we get these serious symptoms," he added.
Parents should be aware that the most common side effects of pods exposure or their liquids include vomiting, coughing and choking, eye irritation or pain and tiredness. Serious side effects involve comas, seizures and stomach burns. Although researchers are not certain that the detergents in the pods are more powerful than traditional laundry detergent, the symptoms after exposure to the pods appear to be more serious.
"These are severe symptoms that we haven't seen in the past with traditional laundry detergent that we're now seeing with these new pods," Smith said. "The symptoms are a very broad spectrum," he continued. "It's not only the amount but the route of exposure too."
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone